Maryland County Welcomes Potential MMJ Cultivator

Marijuana companies are finding open arms in some areas where they’d least expect.

Take rural Maryland, for example.

In one county where conservative politics rule, officials are looking at cannabis cultivation to create jobs and bring much-needed economic development, according to the Washington Post.

Green Thumb Industries, a Chicago-based company, pitched a plan to build an MMJ production facility in rural Washington County, Maryland, should it win a cultivation license from the state.

County commissioners, all Republicans, passed a resolution supporting the plan with a 5-0 vote. Many of the county’s workers commute an hour-and-a-half to Washington DC, meaning local jobs that pay well are highly coveted. The county’s unemployment rate is also a bit higher than the state average.

The company said its facility would create as many as 50 jobs its first year of operation and up to 200 in two to four years, the Post reported. Green Thumb officials also said the plan would give the local economy a $4 million to $7 million boost, which is attractive to elected officials in any county.